Afterburn
by Imagine-Darksiders
Summary: It's the day following Jesse's triumph over the Admin, and in a move that rattled all of Beacon Town, their plucky hero extended a hand of friendship to her former adversary and allowed him to recuperate within the city walls, at least for a time before he would inevitably set out for the Underneath to find Xara. Everyone, including the former Admin, must learn to adjust.


Power corrupts.

Odd how one little locution could plague the guilty conscience of a man who wholly believed for years that he was the exception to such a rule.

Sitting alone in the dark at the end of a queen-sized bed, the disgraced admin – Romeo – expels a long, pent up sigh, bending forwards until his elbows rest on top of his knees, pale fingers clenched tightly around fistfuls of bouncy, scarlet hair.

The silence of early morning is disturbed only by the rhythmic 'tap,' 'tap,' 'tap,' of his sneaker's heel on the birch wood floor and a whispered word that slips, soft and reverent as a prayer, from his tongue.

"Fred…"

Romeo couldn't tell if the choice in flooring was the reason he'd been given this room, or if it had merely been an unfortunate happenstance that nobody thought of in the midst of yesterday's pandemonium. Not that it particularly mattered, in the end. He was never going to get any sleep in here regardless.

Fred had loved birch.

Fred had also been an admin, right there alongside Romeo; the man who was supposed to be his best friend.

Though unlike Romeo, when Fred gained his omnipotence, he had remained completely unaffected by the bewitching delirium that comes with obtaining phenomenal power. Xara too, the third and final admin, had managed to stave off its influence.

Not Romeo, however. The power that came with being an Admin had not only corrupted him, it had shoved and bullied its way between his ribs, sunk its jagged teeth into his heart and clung on with a stubborn fervour that refused to be shaken loose.

It turned him into something monstrous and the most harrowing part was, he hadn't even noticed the transition that had been so painfully obvious in hindsight.

A tiny sliver of sunlight finds a gap in the bedroom curtain and creeps steadily across the floor towards Romeo's feet. Absently, he watches its gradual journey, noting with no small degree of nausea that morning has indeed come, despite his efforts to stave it off so he might be allowed to wallow in self pity forever and a day inside this dark room, in the left wing of Jesse's Order Hall.

At the thought of Beacon Town's hero in residence, the former admin tugs a little more sharply on his hair.

Jesse….Her name leaves a bitter taste on the back of his tongue. Not because she had defied all odds and defeated him, turned him from a near–god to the tiny weakling he used to be, so very long ago, but because she – however unintentionally – serves as a glaring reminder of everything he wants to be. Everything he ever wanted to be.

Liked. Loved. Admired…

… A friend.

That's what it was all about. His power mad, envy-driven rampage was simply down to the fact that he wasn't Jesse. And even when he was her, for that briefest of moments, it didn't go as he imagined it would.

When Jesse was Jesse, she was adored. When Romeo was Jesse, somehow he still managed to botch things up and turn that carefully accumulated love into fear and hate.

It wasn't until the end that he recognised the heinousness of his actions - when it was all over and he was staring up at her from the cold, hard ground in terminal space.

Power corrupts. Stripped of it, and he'd been rendered lucid and humble – devastatingly aware of what he'd done under its influence.

At long last, Romeo's fingers disentangle themselves from his hair and he lowers them gently to the dusty pink duvet at his sides.

Already the sunbeam has moved over his shoes and is well on its way up the opposite wall. The ex-admin glares at it with more heat than is really necessary. He can't very well continue to mope around inside this guest room all day, not the room that Jesse always reserves for her friends, if the polaroids scattered on a patch of wall above the headboard are anything to go by.

Romeo had passed several hours last night scouring them, staring up into the beaming face of the hero herself, with her arms slung around the shoulders of a heavy-set man, hair black as an enderman's hide and clad in an emerald green shirt. He towered over the other two; Jesse, and a woman dressed almost exclusively in red, who's eyes were sharp enough to cut diamonds, dark and analytical. Romeo had hardly bothered to learn Axel and Olivia's names in the beginning. They weren't Jesse.

For a long time, he'd stared and stared and stared at the pictures, wondering why he was suddenly hit by a nagging sense of deja vu, and then aghast to lift his fingers and find an unfamiliar wetness forming on his cheeks.

There they were, all three friends. The brains, brawn and in the middle – always in the middle – was the heart. Romeo had had to exercise an extraordinary level of self restraint to keep from tearing those photographs off the wall.

Heaving out a weary sigh, he scrubs a hand over his face and pushes himself off the bed, stretching out a kink in his back with a grunt, knowing he can't continue to delay the inevitable. Eventually, he'll have to wander outside and face the mistrustful, scathing glares of the Beacon Town residents.

…Might as well get it over with.

Smoothing out the wrinkles in his grey t shirt, Romeo sucks down a steadying breath and drags himself over to the door. His hand has just grasped the metal knob when he pauses, bracing himself for…what?

For facing the full extent of what he's done?

For the hateful words whispered behind his back.

For Jesse to turn that unwaveringly patient gaze onto him and ask with a genuine smile, "How did you sleep?" As if he hadn't tried to kill her and her friends on multiple occasions. As if he hadn't tried to bedrock over her whole world like a toddler throwing a tantrum when it didn't get its way.

A groan bubbles up the old admin's throat but he swallows it down, taking in a deep inhale through his nose and letting it out again in a loud, gushing sigh.

Before he can give into the temptation of retreating underneath the duvet again, Romeo sets his jaw, turns the knob and yanks the bedroom door open, stepping out into the wide corridor…

…and straight into Jesse's skittish intern.

The young, bespectacled man had been happily ferrying an enormous stack of build authorisation documents from Jesse's office to the dingy vault down inside a basement beneath the Order Hall. The papers are all a formality, of course. Typically, the hero in residence is more than glad to let people build whatever they want. But apparently, the lack of organisation had vexed Radar so much, he sat down one evening when he had nothing else to do and drafted up records of every past, current and future construction project in Beacon Town. When he handed them to Jesse, she hadn't had the heart to tell him they were a bit redundant.

Unfortunately, the precarious pile was stacked so high, he couldn't see where he was going, relying more on his in-depth knowledge of the hall's layout than his own eyesight. So in choosing to step out into the corridor at that precise second, the ex-admin really threw a wrench in the works.

The intern crashes into Romeo with a sickening crunch, prompting the former to blurt out a yelp as he bounces off a sturdy body and topples backwards, throwing his arms out to catch himself and subsequently scattering his carefully organised paperwork all over the place. He lands on his rear, the impact jarring him and flinging the glasses off his nose where they clatter to the ground at Romeo's feet, who - for a few, terse seconds – remains rooted to the spot, starting down at the boy as a tiny inkling of dread begins to gnaw at his gut.

'Oh no…That's Jesse's intern. I just knocked Jesse's beloved intern to the floor,' he shudders, 'If this is any indication of how my day is going to pan out, I'm heading back to bed.'

Suddenly, Radar lets out a pitiable whine and leans forward to pat around on the carpet in search of his glasses, soft brown eyes squinted harshly under puckered brows. "Oh my gosh! I-I am sosorry." he stammers, catching the former admin by surprise, "I didn't see you there!" He continues to ramble out apologies, his fingers skirting closer and closer to the glasses but never quite near enough to find them.

It's at that point Romeo realises that the kid has no idea who he'd just crashed into.

Part of him is tempted to quietly slip away so he won't later be accused of picking on the Hero's friend. Glancing over a shoulder, he takes a step back. Then, quite unexpectedly, he's drawn to a halt by one, quiet thought. 'What would Jesse do?'

…Probably something noble, heroic even. Jesse would lift Radar to his feet, brush him down and softly reassure him that it was her fault for walking into him.

The ex admin has to bite down on his tongue to keep a sigh from escaping. Here he is, vowing to be a better person and he can't even nail down the basics. Face burning with shame that the prospect of sneaking away had even occurred, he bends to one knee and gingerly retrieves the boy's spectacles, mumbling, "Here," and pressing them into Radar's outstretched hands.

"Hey, thanks!" The relief in the young man's voice is palpable as he sits back and hurriedly slides the glasses back into place on his nose, blinking a few times and roving his gaze upwards from a pair of red sneakers. "Sorry for bumping into you. Wasn't really watching where I-" The moment his eyes meet Romeo's jet-black stare, Radar freezes and his words sputter to an abrupt halt whereas the former admin utters a completely ineloquent, "U-um," before he falls silent, flexing his fingers and glancing between the intern's gaping mouth and the papers littered about on the floor.

Clearing his throat, Romeo tries again, grimacing when it still comes out as a croaky, "Uh.."

Good grief, just yesterday he couldn't shut up, but now it's as though someone has coated his tongue in lead. Radar's face is a confused amalgamation of worry, trepidation and suspicion, but above all, fear.

'_They don't love you, they're afraid of you!_' Jesse's desperate cry rings in his ears, twisting Romeo's features into a crestfallen frown.

After a moment or two of uncomfortably being subjected to the youngster's guilt-inducing stare, the former admin hesitantly reaches down to offer him a hand, choosing to ignore Radar's less than subtle flinch.

"Here, let me he-"

"NO!"

The blurted exclamation catches Romeo off guard and he jerks his arm back just as the boy lurches forwards and scoops the sheets away, clutching them protectively to his chest, eyes wide behind his glasses. "Uh! I-I mean, I've got this," he squeaks, ripping his focus away and hurriedly scraping his precious papers together, "You-you should go and find Jesse."

The intern's reaction shouldn't have stung the way it had, alas, Romeo finds himself wilting at the outright rejection of his offer to help.

Clenching and unclenching his hands, he merely observes as the young man frantically stacks his papers into neat, little piles. All too soon, the quiet becomes too thick and a sudden urge to break it nearly overwhelms the former admin, prompting him to gulp loudly and ask "Jesse….wants to see me?" The heart in his chest gives a resonant buck in the same manner an unruly student's might if they were asked to pay a visit to their headmaster's office.

There's an unexpected degree of apprehension in his tone that gives the intern pause. Glancing up, Radar cocks his head at Jesse's former adversary and chews absentmindedly at his bottom lip. "Um..Not exactly. She told me to tell you – if I saw you – that she's…she's at Nell's house."

He finally places the last sheet on top of the stack, hefts them all up into his arms and attempts to get to his feet but nearly drops everything all over again when a large, strong hand slips around his skinny wrist. Startled, he jumps at the unexpected contact, fighting against a compulsion to shake himself free as he's gently tugged upright. The instant he's steady on his feet and no longer in danger of tottering backwards under the weight of all those papers, the hand swiftly retracts.

Peering around his pile of documents, Radar gapes after Romeo, who's turned on his heel and is beating a hasty retreat towards the hall's front entrance, head ducked low and hands stuffed into his pockets.

Once their old enemy has disappeared through the doors and they slam shut with an almighty boom, Radar lets out a wheeze and slumps a little on his trembling legs.

—

"Jesse, dude? You have outdone yourself once again."

Nell claps a hand down on the hero's shoulder and the two of them step back to admire the statue sitting on a pedestal just outside Nell's front yard. For the better part of the morning, Jesse had painstakingly set about removing the Admin's handiwork that had been built on top of the original sculpture she'd made specifically to welcome her new friend into Beacon Town.

Wiping her palm through the light sheen of sweat gathered on her forehead, Jesse turns to shoot Nell an apologetic frown. "It's nothing. I'm just sorry I didn't change it back before. But I didn't want to get you in trouble with you-know-who."

And a good thing too, considering that mere seconds after she'd made the executive decision not to tear down Romeo's statue, the man himself had materialised out of thin air to carry out an impromptu inspection.

"Oh pshaw! Don't sweat it, pal!" she replies, blowing a long, blonde strand of hair out of her face, "You probably did me a solid. No telling what that Admin guy would have done if you'd-" Just then, Nell's voice cuts off and her head snaps to one side, looking past the resident hero at something in the distance. "Uh, oh," she mutters a moment later, a phrase that send cold fingers of dread creeping up Jesse's spine.

"Uh oh? Nell, you know those are two of my least favourite words."

But her free-spirited companion is too busy staring apprehensively across the square to respond. Instead, she nods towards the beacon that gave the town its name, her eyes narrowed to soft, blue slits. "Speak of the devil…" she warns.

Jesse follows her line of sight and begins to scan the crowd until she eventually spots a familiar mop of wavy, red hair poking out from behind the monument's low wall.

Inevitably, there is an instance in which her heart rate quickens at the sight of her former adversary and she has to remind herself – quite forcibly – that he isn't a threat any more.

Stamping down on her gut reaction to move in front of Nell, she raises an arm and waves at him. "Romeo! Over here!"

The ex admin – who until that moment had been lingering beside the beacon, trying to work out how best to approach the hero and her friend – gives a start, glancing left and right as if to make absolutely certain that she was addressing him before hesitantly returning her wave, albeit with far less enthusiasm.

Lowering her arm, she looks back at Nell. "Hey listen, I've gotta scoot, but it was great hanging out."

"Wait, huh?" Her friend pales, tearing her eyes off the him to gape at Jesse, "Where are you goin'?"

"Got some errands to run. Thought I'd bring Romeo along to lend a hand."

"….Who's Romeo?"

Jesse blinks, suddenly remembering that most of the town still only knows him as The Admin, and if he was ever going to be accepted, she would have to rectify that. "That's Romeo." She juts her chin at the man standing beside the beacon, almost as though he's afraid that moving will provoke a nearby citizen to spontaneously attack. "He doesn't go by Admin anymore.."

Nell is quiet, wrinkling her nose and slowly blinking at the smaller woman. "…Seriously?" she says after a while, "Dude's name is Romeo?"

Huffing out a soft laugh, Jesse shakes her head and lightly touches her friend's shoulder in farewell. "You'll get used to it. I'll see you around, okay?" And with that, she turns on her heel and makes off towards Romeo. All of a sudden, a hand grasps her upper arm and pulls her to an unsteady halt, prompting her to glance back over her shoulder, one, dark eyebrow raised expectantly. "Um..Yeah?"

Nell promptly leans closer and puts her lips up to Jesse's ear, whispering into it consiprationally whilst keeping a flinty glare aimed in Romeo's direction. "Uh, Jesse? Pal. Now, I know you can handle yourself, but are you sure you wanna be..like.. alone with that guy?"

They both return their attention to the man in question and notice how he's hunched in on himself, eyes cast to the stone underfoot as a last measure of defence against the disdainful glares shot his way by nearly every Beacon Towner in his vicinity. Jesse notes – with a strange concoction of satisfaction and concern – that he seems a lot…smaller than he had been before.

Hooking her thumbs into the straps of her dungarees, the hero flashes Nell her trademark, reassuring grin.

"You don't have to worry. Romeo isn't the Admin anymore. And besides-" Her grin softens as she flicks her eyes back over at him. "- He's not gonna hurt me. I think he really wants to try and make up for what he's done.

Nell, however, doesn't look so convinced. This time though, she refrains from pulling Jesse back when the hero throws a farewell over her shoulder and strides across the square, meeting him halfway.

Pulling her lips into a tight line, Nell murmurs, "Man, I hope you're right, Jess. For your sake."

The moment he sees Jesse move away from her friend, the former admin tenses, limbs locking up at his sides and he swallows, trying to gauge if her approach is threatening or not. Cautiously he observes her, privately marvelling at the openness of her face.

The corners of her mouth are turned up into an easy smile and her large, too-trusting eyes no longer burn with that ferocious determination he'd been privy to as her enemy. Now, as she draws nearer, he can make out the smudged khol still muddying the skin beneath her eyelids, evidence that she'd been too exhausted last night after her long ordeal to bother removing the make up before bed and there are even faint, red veins zigzagging across her sclera. Despite the airy smile plastered on her face, there's a shadow hanging over her, and a sluggishness to her gait that he hasn't seen before. Either she's been awake since the wee hours, or – like him – she'd hardly slept at all.

Both notions twist his stomach into remorseful knots.

"Hey, Romeo."

He stiffens, blanching as he realises he'd been caught staring at her eyes while she made her way over to him.

With more effort than should really be necessary, Romeo blinks. "Oh, Jesse!" he blurts out, as though he's surprised to find her here at all, "Fancy running into you!"

The hero stops just shy of a metre from him, hesitates, and then takes another step closer. The gesture – though small – doesn't go unnoticed and his lips give an appreciative twitch.

"Yeah, sorry. Thought I'd get an early start on fixing some stuff around town," she says, curling her fingers around a stray lock of hair and tucking it behind her ear. "Did Radar find you?"

She gestures down the road he'd just come from and beckons him to follow.

Hesitating for a second, he watches her stroll past him. Then, shaking his head, he hurries along after, easily matching her pace wit his far longer legs. "Yep," he tries for a laugh that ends up sounding forced, "Jittery little fellow, isn't he? Said I might find you out here, talking to ol' Nellie." He glances back to see the blonde watching him like a hawk, arms folded across her chest. "Good, uh..Good sort, that one."

"Who, Nell? Yeah, she's good people. So glad she decided to settle down here. Radar too! I don't know what I'd do without him around. Probably forget a lot of social obligations for a start."

Narrowly avoiding a painful collision with an exceptionally cross-looking woman's shoulder, he echos, "Social obligations?"

"Oh, that's Radar's way of trying to make mayoral responsibilities sound fun," she explains breezily, "It's just stuff like, attending town meetings, overseeing build contests. Dinner parties, dance parties…"

"Sounds exhausting," he admits, recalling the few days he'd tried being Jesse. The demand for his attention had bordered on oppressive and he'd only been subjected to it for a fraction of the time she had.

A trio of parrots that had busied themselves by idly hopping around the path in search of dropped food suddenly take to the sky at their approach. Jesse regards them wistfully, exhaling through her nose before she offers a response. "It's not so bad really. You get used to it."

Romeo hums, scrutinising her from the corner of his eye. She doesn't sound as though she's used to it. In fact, she sounds like she wants to sprout wings and fly away with the rest of the birds.

She confirms his suspicions a moment later by quietly admitting, "I do miss being able to just go on adventures whenever I want. I'm not as…free as I was a couple of years ago."

Once again, Romeo finds himself unable to offer little more than an evasive grunt, uncertain of how he ought to reply. In truth, he's distracted.

She fell into a conversation with him far too quickly and easily, she has yet to bring up the reason she brought him out here, nor where they're currently heading. And not once has she sent him the same, heated glare he seems to be receiving from every other person in town. To say his nerves are frayed would be an understatement. Romeo can't remember ever feeling so on edge, suspended in a state where he's perpetually braced for something bad to happen.

He very nearly asks her to just get it over with and start laying into him about what a terrible person he is, but at that moment, they turn a corner and his attention is immediately diverted elsewhere.

They've emerged onto a busy street, lined with quaint little cafes and general traders where the atmosphere is made bright and airy by slats of early morning sunlight that break through gaps in overhead structures to warm the stone beneath their feet.

Romeo's mouth falls open comically wide. "They've rebuilt so much already?"

It isn't difficult to detect the pride in Jesse's voice as she leads him towards a cafe at the very end of the road. "Yep, everyone here was super keen to get the town back to normal after – uh…." Awkwardly, she trails off, biting her lip and sending her former nemesis a sidelong grimace.

"After I destroyed it," he finishes for her, his expression neutral, although she can see the tightness in his jaw.

"Hey now, you didn't… completely destroy it," she offers lamely, hurrying past a house in the process of having it's entire roof reconstructed, "You just…sort of…revamped it. Yeah!" Smile renewed, she sweeps an arm out at the surroundings. "I mean, lose the golem guards, a few less fires and take away the threat of being zapped into a cage at a moment's notice-"

At her side, Romeo winces miserably.

"- and Beacon Town is pretty much back to normal."

He gives her an incredulous squint, unable to stop a derisive snort from jumping out of his nose. "Sorry, normal? Are you forgetting about the ginormous, horrifyingly daunting tower of colossal proportions up there?" he huffs, throwing a hand up to indicate the structure looming over the rest of Beacon Town, casting its long shadow out over the western forest.

The Admin Tower. A monument he'd built as a show of his power and talent. It had seemed so impressive once. Now, he can hardly stand to look at the damn thing, standing there in all its ostentatiousness, his magnum opus that perfectly reflected its gaudy creator.

Jesse, however, appears to have a different opinion. "Okay, I didn't want to tell you this while you were…the old you," she says behind her hand in a hushed tone, leaning close enough for him to catch a whiff of the sandalwood shampoo she uses, "But that tower? It's pretty mind blowing."

"Mind blo- whu-?" Apparently, 'mind blowing' was the most apropos term she could have used.

Tripping over his own tongue, Romeo nearly walks into a wooden chair sitting just outside the cafe they'd been heading towards, where small, square tables are dotted about and several bunches of daffodils rest in glass vases at the centre of each.

Casually, Jesse makes her way around the table and tugs out a chair on his opposite side, sitting herself down whilst he simply gawks at her, incredulous. "You…you like my build?" he breathes, his body moving of its own accord until he finds himself seated on his own chair without really registering the motion.

"Well, yeah! Why did you think we decided not to tear it down?" Jesse raises an arm to wave at someone behind him, though he's too taken aback to try and see who. "You were a jerk, sure. But that doesn't mean your builds weren't incredible! That icy palace of doom?" She leans forwards to rest her elbows on the table and sends him a pointed look, "Horrifying, don't get me wrong. But, credit where it's due – it was pretty awesome."

The former admin's heart leaps into his throat, breath hitching at the approval she'd just hit him with.

"I still can't believe you built all that, just for me." She shakes her head and her smile falters for a fraction of a second, a pensive frown darkening her eyes.

Momentarily, Romeo has to wonder why she'd think he wouldn't build something like that for a friend, but just as he opens his mouth to reply, he's cut off by the sound of a throat being cleared sharply to his right. Startled, he jerks his head around to see who'd rudely interrupted the conversation and nearly jumps out of his skin as a folded menu is brusquely shoved into his hands.

Standing over them, eyebrows slanted sharply in a seemingly permanent scowl, is a fair-haired man wearing a bright, green pinafore, his lips stretching into a tight smile which looks a hell of a lot more genuine when he turns it onto Jesse.

"Always good to see you, Jesse," he drawls, handing her another menu, "We may not be back up to full efficiency just yet, but thanks to you, we're at least open for business."

Ducking her head and lifting one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, she replies, "Ah, it wasn't all me. Everyone's been pitching in to help get the city back to normal."

"Indeed," the waiter sniffs and pauses until she begins glancing over the menu before he throws Romeo a look dirty enough to stain, "Well…Almost everyo-"

"I think I'll have the rabbit stew!" A vicious glare accompanies Jesse's snapped interruption, though both are so out of place for the amicable hero, the men have to do a double take just to make sure it had been her who spoke.

After a brief second of stunned silence, the waiter gives a start and fumbles for his notepad, swiftly jotting down her order. "O-of course, rabbit stew. We can do that!" Turning hesitantly towards the former admin, the man whispers down to her, "And…uh…What'll he have?"

A rush of irritation tickles at the back of Romeo's mind, bridling at the waiter's attitude. However, the glimmer of anxiousness that flashes across Jesse's face catches his eye and quells that surge of aggression.

'_You asked for this_,' he reminds himself dismally, swallowing down the anger, '_However they treat you, that's on you_.'

Sucking in a breath, he tries to respond when he realises there's a problem: He has no idea what's on the menu. He hasn't even looked at it.

Come to think of it, when was the last time he actually ate anything?

As an admin, he had no need for sustenance.

Now that he's normal though…

Romeo peers inquisitively at the dark-haired woman sitting opposite and cocks his head to one side, struck by a sneaking suspicion that she'd had a similar thought at some point or another. Why else would she bring him here?

Conscious that he still hasn't provided an answer, he settles to offer up a tiny shrug and utters, "Same as her."

Clearly taken aback, the waiter's eyebrows shoot up his forehead and nearly disappear beneath his wispy, brown fringe. In the end though, he nods and all but snatches the menu out of Romeo's hands, taking Jesse's too before he bustles off back through the door leading into his cafe.

Once the little bell hanging above the entrance stops tinkling, the hero deflates, slumping forwards over the table and covering her face with her hands.

"I am…so sorry about that," she moans.

"Why are you sorry?" he asks, somewhat bitterly, "You didn't seriously expect it to be any different, did you? Not after how I…how I behaved." Raising his eyes to the street, he counts no less than seven people who're trying to look busy while simultaneously throwing him wary glances every now and again. "I mean, it's hardly any wonder most of Beacon Town wants me gone…And I don't think they're very happy that you-" He jabs a slender finger across the table at her. "- decided to let me stay for a while."

Pressing her lips together, Jesse frowns, cautiously venturing, "You know, Romeo…If you want to leave, I'm not going to stop you. The gate's right there. I just -" She heaves out a sigh. "- I knowwhat it's like down there, in the Underneath. You do not wanna be there unprepared. I thought that, if you're really going to go and find Xara, you should at least wait until you get your strength back."

Stubbornly folding his arms across his chest, he grumbles, "M'already strong."

"You went from having god-like powers to having no powers at all." Jesse drops her eyelids and levels a skeptical look his way. "Trust me. There'll be an adjustment period."

And because she sounds as though she knows what she's talking about, because her eyes betray no disdain yet still make him feel about an inch tall despite being thousands of years her senior, Romeo doesn't argue - doesn't see any reason to. She's right. Loathe as he is to admit it, he isn't the same, powerful creator of worlds anymore, and that thought both comforts and terrifies him.

He meant what he'd said in the Terminal; that without his power, he's nothing – less than nothing. Just a shell of his former self.

For a while, they simply observe one another across the table, Romeo's hands slowly closing into fists atop the cloth. There's an apprehensive tension choking the air around him, borne of his own bewilderment.

Why is she acting like this? Why isn't she addressing the elephant in the room? How can she sit there in front of him – all smiles and impeccable manners – and imply that she gives a hoot about what happens to him? That's something friends do. And he and Jesse are not friends. He ruined any and all chance of that by being utterly monstrous to her.

Heart in his throat and now on his sleeve, Romeo suddenly heaves himself halfway out of his chair, knocking it back a few feet.

Jesse blinks, but doesn't otherwise react as he stares her down, unaware of the tremor in his arms that are braced against the tabletop. "Alright! That's it!" he blurts out, "I can't take anymore of this!" Through gritted teeth he chokes out, "Why are you being so. Bloody. Nice!?" He punctuates the final word by slamming a fist down, rattling the flowers in their glass jar.

Over his rapid intakes and exhales, he notices that the whole street has gone deathly silent, and he doesn't need to look to know that everyone is staring at him, watching with baited breath to see if they need to step in and defend their beloved leader who has the ex admin locked in her tired, green gaze.

It's under that gaze that he finally begins to wither, the frustration leaving him like water from a leaky pail.

Jesse lowers her eyes and he finds himself moving down with them, sinking back into his chair as his mouth opens and closes around an apology, never quite finding the courage to break the spell of quiet. He wishes she would though. It's becoming unbearably thick.

All of a sudden, the bell above the cafe door rings loudly and he jumps, shoulders tensing when the waiter approaches their table with two, steaming dishes of stew balanced in each hand.

"Sorry for the delay,"he says, setting one dish in front of Jesse and promptly dropping Romeo's in his place, mindless of the stew that sloshes dangerously close to the rim, "Will that be everything?"

At last taking her eyes off the former admin, she turns a smile up at the waiter and nods. "That's great, thanks."

"Well…You let me know if you need anything."

Romeo has a feeling that the offer doesn't extend to him.

With a last, lingering glare, the man strolls off back into the cafe and the silence descends over them once more.

Desperate for something to do with his hands, Romeo hastily picks up a small fork and uses it to prod at his stew with feigned interest.

"Romeo."

The utensil slips from his fingers and tumbles into the food with a wet splat, sending flecks of gravy flying in all directions. Reluctantly, he lifts his head to look at her and braces himself for a scolding.

Instead, she throws him off kilter by flashing a toothy smile and pointing her fork at his face. "I don't know if you remember how food works, but it's supposed to go in your mouth, not on your chin."

"Huh?" His hand flies up and, sure enough, there's a spattering of thick, clumpy goop stuck to his red tuft of beard. Grumbling, he scrubs it off with the back of a hand, glowering at the hero. "Don't change the subject…You didn't answer my question.."

Now it's her turn to stare down into her stew and shovel some meat idly across the dish. "You want to know why I'm being nice?" she reiterates, peering up at him through her dark lashes.

Swallowing, Romeo nods.

The young hero sits back in her chair, humming and searching his face intently before she eventually takes a breath. "It's because -"

"It's because she's Jesse."

The two of them give a start at the sound of a gruff, surly voice calling out from somewhere nearby and suddenly, strong fingers clasp Romeo's shoulder, pulling an undignified squawk from his throat.

"Oh no," Jesse mumbles, covering part of her face with a hand as a burly man sporting an eye patch and an impressive beard saunters around Romeo towards her side of the table and grabs a chair from nearby, dragging it right up next to her and plonking himself down into it with one, broad shoulder pressed up against her. His lips pull back over his teeth to grin at the ex admin, though it only invokes the image of a lion baring its teeth.

Thoroughly cowed, Romeo shrinks further into his seat.

Eyes as hard as an iron block, a thick mane of dirty blonde hair and muscles that bulge out from beneath the sleeves of his navy vest – It isn't difficult to recognise the newcomer.

Puffing out his chest, Jack sniffs, staring his former nemesis down from across the table.

Without his powers, Romeo can at last appreciate just how intimidating Jack is. Even sitting down, he manages to dwarf Jesse.

Exasperated yet too fond of him to push him off, she resigns herself to lean into his shoulder, throwing Romeo an apologetic look.

Years ago, Jack had lost two of his best friends – Sammy and Vos – to the Admin's sea temple during a hunt for the legendary treasure supposedly buried within.. Their deaths had utterly devastated the man, left him with post traumatic stress disorder and a lingering tendency to fret profusely over those closest to him.

Jesse is among the few friends he has, which has – on more than one occasion - rendered her prone to his often overprotective nature.

"Hrnn!" A second voice, this one far gentler than Jack's, draws their attention and before they know it, a villager has slipped into another chair on Jesse's right, though at a much less invasive distance. "Hmm, hrn hnn," he continues, scowling at the adventurer, who blinks rapidly and recoils, affronted.

"I am not, Nurm," he hisses before raising his voice, throwing an arm around Jesse's shoulders and grinning, "What? I'm not allowed to say 'hello' to a friend?"

Rolling his eyes, the villager lets out a huff and shifts around to smile warmly at the girl.

"Hey Nurm," she greets, earning a soft hum as he extracts a hand from his robes and lays it gently over hers, patting it fondly.

That simple action sends a pang of longing racing through Romeo's chest.

There'd been a time - long, long ago – when he, Xara and Fred had been that close. Close enough for physical touches that didn't hurt.

For a moment, it feels as if he's the interloper here, and they're the ones who Jesse had invited to eat with her.

"So," Jack barks suddenly, clapping his hands together and startling Romeo back to the present, "We were just passing by – totally not following you, by the way – and we couldn't help but overhear you shouting at our Jesse here."

At his side, Nurm grunts, mimicking his partner's stern glare.

The young woman sandwiched between them must have noticed that Romeo's face turns ashen because she carefully squirms until Jack gets the message and retrieves his arm from her shoulders. Once free, she taps a finger sharply on his clenched fist, a subtle, silent command which he reluctantly obeys, letting his fingers stiffly unfurl until they lay flat on the tablecloth.

"Romeo and I were just having a chat." She glances at him pointedly. "Right?"

At the other end of the table, the ex admin runs a finger around the inside of his collar, adam's apple noticeably bobbing up and down and betraying his anxiousness. "We were! I-I was just asking her-"

"-Why she's being so nice to you. Yeah, we heard," Jack interrupts, rolling his good eye, "The whole of Beacon Town heard." Under his breath, he utters, "And most of us are asking ourselves the same question.."

Releasing his shirt, Romeo drops his hand against a thigh where it lands with a soft 'thwap' as he sighs defeatedly, forehead puckering. "I just don't get it," he mumbles, partly to himself, partly to the other three, "She should hate me."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the rest of us do," Jack helpfully puts. A loud thump from under the table accompanies Nurm's admonishing, "Hrrm!" and the bearded adventurer flinches, wincing.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?"

Leaning back in his chair, Romeo waves a dismissive hand at the villager. "No, no. He's right. I mean, I'm not completely blind – not anymore… - Everyone's got a good reason to hate me. Especially you." His dark eyes find Jesse's and hold her gaze for several seconds before his nerve gives out and he drops his head again.

Nobody speaks for a time, Jack, Nurm and Jesse all exchanging sidelong glances while their old enemy watches the steam slowly rise from his food.

Jack can feel his other half's wizened stare on the side of his head, but he pays Nurm no mind, too preoccupied with scrutinising the disgraced admin before them.

Admittedly, he is a rather sorry sight.

Pallid complexion, dark circles beneath his eyes that make even Jesse's look small, hunched shoulders and a general lack of deluded grandeur leaves Romeo a damn sight less impressive than he'd once been.

Deep, deep down, there's a tiny part of Jack that sympathises. Losing that sort of power in one fell swoop would take a toll on most people. He imagines it would feel like having his own rippling, super athletic arms taken away and replaced with…with baby arms, or something. The very notion sends a shudder coursing through his body. "Listen, er…Romeo," he begins, scratching at his nose, "I gotta be honest – Jesse here? Heck, I don't think this kid could hate anyone. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing!-"he rushes to explain as the young woman opens her mouth to protest. "I just mean, this isn't exactly the first time she's forgiven someone who almost destroyed the world."

Nurm hums his agreement.

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds pretty bad," the hero in question mumbles, abandoning all hopes of eating her stew while it's still hot. Luke warm would have to do.

At her statement, Jack barks out a laugh."Ha! Not from the bad guy's perspective!"

Romeo can't help but to purse his lips, nodding soberly. "S'true. When I was the Admin, that selflessness of yours? Bah! Oh, I just thought it was pointless! Now though…" An incredulous smile nudges at one side of his mouth. "I'd have to say, I think it's one of your more attractive traits."

He doesn't miss the way Nurm and Jack bristle, whereas Jesse herself raises a sly brow and the corner of her lips begin to twitch. It takes him a second to place a cause for their reaction. "Oh for!- Not attractive like that!-" Blowing out a rasping huff, he prays that the heat creeping up his cheeks isn't too noticeable. "You know what I meant."

Harrumphing, Jack narrows his eyes but at least the tension drains from his shoulders.

"Well, Jack, Nurm-" the young hero nods to each of them in turn. "-It was great to see you guys…" She trails off, leaving her sentence open-ended in the hopes they'll interpret her hidden prompt to bid farewell. Jack looks about ready to batten down the hatches and glue himself to the chair, yet his intentions are thwarted as the villager gets to his feet, gesturing at the dishes of stew and murmuring something to the gruff man beside Jesse.

"Nurmie, the food isn't getting cold," Jack huffs, following his partner's lead regardless and standing up. "Look! I can still see the steam….Oh wait, no. No I can't. Sorry Jess."

Wordlessly, she shakes her head and grins, waving his apology aside.

Eyeballing Romeo for a last, lingering moment, he turns to her and rumbles, "Hey, listen…Me and Nurm are gonna go start putting the shop back together." He lowers his voice, adding gently, "If you need anything, you come get us, okay?"

Sometimes, Jesse wonders if anyone even remembers that she can look after herself.

However, for the umpteenth time in her life, she decides to humour him. "Don't worry, Jack. I will. Bye Nurm!"She waves at the villager who has made his way around the table and takes his partner's elbow, tugging the larger man away from Jesse.

"Hrrm, hnn!" he chimes, waving back. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he offers a small nod to Romeo after which he and Jack make their way back down the street, heading for their home.

Twisting around in his seat, Romeo stares after them, teeth worrying at his bottom lip as a nagging thought pushes to the forefront of his mind and before he can stop himself, he's calling out, "Hey! Hey Jack!"

The man jerks to a halt, spinning around, his good eye round with surprise.

For a second, Romeo falters, feeling the stares of every Beacon Towner boring into him curiously. Unfortunately, it's far too late to back out now. Besides, Jesse's watching. So, setting his jaw, he swallows his pride – what little he has left – and continues. "I never apologised! For…for Vos and Sammy!"

He hears a soft intake of breath from the hero behind him and very quickly realises that mentioning Jack's deceased friends – especially the one he'd impersonated – probably wasn't the best idea.

Even with the distance between them, they can see Jack's entire body stiffen, sorrow clouding his rugged features. There's a worrying second or two where Romeo is convinced that the adventurer will march right back over to the table and punch him square in the jaw. Apparently, Jesse seems to be on a similar train of thought as he hears the chair behind him scrape against the ground and her shadow falls across their table, letting him know that she's on her feet. Typical Jesse. Always prepared to intervene should a bust-up occur.

Neither of them need have worried though.

The villager at Jack's side rests a mollifying hand on his partner's rigid fist, squeezing gently until it goes slack. Then, without taking his eyes off Romeo, the adventurer turns his hand over and intertwines his fingers with Nurm's, returning the comforting squeeze while a humourless smile tugs at his lips and he softly calls back, "Sorry's just a word, pal. You want people around here to start forgiving you? You gotta show 'em you're sorry. No good just saying it." Shaking his head slowly from side to side, he twists himself about, transferring Nurm's hand into his other one and the two of them start off down the path once again, though not before the former admin catches one last statement tossed over Jack's burly shoulder, one that's almost lost among the low hum of the bustling street. "But saying it is a start.."

Jesse and Romeo wait in silence until the adventurer and his companion turn a corner at the end of the road and disappear from view.

Several moments pass in which activity gradually picks up around the cafe again and all of Beacon Town seems to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Unsurprisingly, Romeo finds himself exhaling right alongside them. He turns back to face the hero in residence only to find her looking at him thoughtfully, a lopsided grin brightening her face.

"…What?" he asks after a pause.

With a coy shrug, she returns her attention to the stew on her placemat and stabs at a chunk of meat with the fork. Raising it up to her lips, she replies, "No, it's just… that was good of you. To apologise, I mean."

He blinks as she pops the food into her mouth and immediately prepares a second forkful, etiquette all but forgotten in favour of eating the stew before it grows completely stone cold.

Hesitantly, Romeo lowers his eyes from her face and takes up his own fork, following Jesse's lead by scooping a piece of rabbit onto it. "He's right though, your friend…Saying sorry just doesn't feel like it's enough.."

Humming around her mouthful, Jesse gulps it down, pausing between her next bite to say, "That's because it kind of isn't."

She's watching him closely now, expectantly, causing his ears to grow warm under the intensity of her stare as it follows the food all the way up to his mouth where he stops to give it a wary sniff before pushing the fork past his lips, eyes narrowed in anticipation. As soon as the meat hits his tongue, an explosion of flavour lights up his tastebuds and he's mortified at the groan that escapes him. His face must have done something funny as well, seeing as Jesse hastily brings a napkin up to her lips just a bit too late to hide her broad grin. "That good, huh?"

"Mhmm!" he nods eagerly, already shovelling in another fork load and nearly swallowing it whole. "Blimey!" he exclaims once he's no longer in danger of choking, "Remind me why I stopped eating food after I became an admin."

Jesse's eyes sparkle like the sun on water. "If you think that's good, just wait until I reintroduce you to cake."

Letting out an acknowledging grunt, Romeo wolfs down the rest of his meal, only sitting back when the dish is completely devoid of even the tiniest morsel. Using the back of a hand to wipe away any excess food off his chin, he sighs and offers the girl a contented smile. "Thanks for this, Jesse." He indicates the dish, but hopes she'll figure out that he's thanking her for so much more. "You didn't have to do this."

"Eh, you looked like you needed it."

"No, seriously -" The former admin's expression turns instantly sober and he leans forwards, palms flat against the table. "I…what do I owe you?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she replies casually, putting her cutlery down inside the dish, "The guy who owns this place got into a bit of trouble with some skeletons last year and I saved him. Ever since then, he lets me and my friends eat here, totally gratis. You don't owe a thing."

To her surprise, the ex admin roughly shakes his head, fingernails scraping over the tablecloth. "Jesse, please, you have to let me repay you somehow. How can I ever make up for what I've done if you won't let me?"

"Romeo," she huffs, firmly enough to get him to pry his fingers from the table, "You don't need my permission. I'm not stopping you from doing good things. You should help people because you want to, not because I tell you to."

"I – I do want to help people! But I just..I just…gah!" Frustrated, he exhales brusquely, slouching back into his chair and giving Jesse the most imploring look she's ever seen. It'd even put Radar's to shame. "I just don't know where to start." Trailing off, he lowers his eyes down to rest on the hero's knuckles, where he can see the purpling bruises lingering on her skin, testaments of her final showdown against him. It seems even Fred's golden gauntlet – powerful as it was – couldn't wholly protect her from the full might of a desperate admin.

Unbeknownst to Romeo, his eyebrows knit together and he scowls darkly at the bruises, unaware that while he's peering at them, Jesse is busy casting a sympathetic glance over his face.

"You know," she begins suddenly, drawing his head up a little, "If you really want to help out, I think I know how to get you started."

Immediately, he brightens, "You do?"

The hero in residence doesn't bother to conceal her smirk. His enthusiasm had once been utterly horrifying and bordered on obsession, but now that he's no longer a giant megalomaniac, it's an unexpectedly endearing trait. "Come on," she says, standing up and digging around in her pockets for something, "I'll tell you on the way."

Curious, Romeo gets to his feet as Jesse fishes a gold nugget from her overalls and places it down next to her dish.

"Hey!"He points at it accusingly, trotting around the table and falling into step at her side. "I thought you said you ate here for free?"

"Yeah, I know," she shrugs, "But…he works hard, and it just doesn't feel right to leave without a trade."

"Hmph. No wonder they love you."

She chuckles warmly but doesn't dispute his comment.

The unlikely duo make their way down the winding streets in silence, simply taking in the sounds of Beacon Town until Jesse leads him around a corner and the enormous, north gate comes into view. It briefly occurs to Romeo that she's taking him somewhere outside the walls.

"So, where exactly are we going?" he asks, eyeing a large, balding man leant against the side of a porch up ahead. The stranger has a mean glint in his eye, flicking a glare between Jesse and the ex admin with each glance growing increasingly sour.

"The mines," she replies breezily, waving at a few passersby.

Romeo falters and stumbles on a piece of uneven cobblestone. "The mines? Why the mines?"

"Well," she starts, biting the inside of her cheek and casting her eyes up towards the clouds floating along overhead, "Since someone decided to pull everybody out of the mines to prepare for a festival -"

The former admin cringes and hisses through his teeth, already realising what she's about to say.

"- No one's been down there to monitor the Heck mouth situation for like, three days."

"Heck mouth?"

"That giant, monster-spewing hole in the ground? The one you made so I would find your gauntlet?"

"Ah…That Heck mouth." Gnawing on his lower lip, Romeo exhales. "Listen, Jesse… I'm so-"

"It's done now," she interrupts him gently, "What matters is fixing the problem."

"Oh, I'll tell you how you can 'fix' the problem…"

Unexpectedly, Jesse's arm flies out, stopping Romeo in his tracks as a shadow falls over them and they find their path blocked by the same man he'd seen on the porch.

Electric blue eyes contrast the angry red flush blooming from the man's neck to his face. With flaring nostrils, he raises a hand and jabs Romeo in the chest, hard.

"You can fix it by doin' what you should've done yesterday, n'chucked this guy off the nearest cliff!"

He advances, forcing the ex admin to stumble back and bring his hands up, instinctively covering his face when, all of a sudden, despite being half a head shorter than either of the men, Jesse pushes herself between them, shoving the newcomer away from Romeo and thrusting her chin out, challenging him. "Hey! If you've got something to say, you can take it up with me."

"Believe me," he sneers, "I got a lot of things to say to you. The first bein,' how could you let this…this monster stay in Beacon Town!? You're s'posed to be keepin' us safe!"

Cowering behind the hero, Romeo has to marvel at this man's gumption, screaming into the face of the woman who defeated a Witherstorm and an Admin. Jesse – remaining true to her un-confrontational nature – does her best to pacify him, drawing his attention from Romeo and directing it onto her. "Look, you're angry. I get it, trust me. But there isn't any point taking it out on him now! It's over. He's done and he's trying to make up for it!"

But the man either isn't listening, or he simply doesn't care. Face contorted into an ugly snarl, he takes a step closer, bumping his chest against hers and glaring down his nose, forcing her neck to crane back just to keep his gaze. "Oh yeah? And you seriously believe that? Cos it seems to me he'll tell you anything just to save his own skin!"

Bristling like an angry ocelot, Jesse squares her shoulders and slowly grinds out, "He's telling…the truth."

"How do you know?"

"Because I trust him!"

At her back, Romeo recoils a little and his eyes grow wide and round along with his mouth, which drops open to form a small 'oh.'

'_She trusts me_?' The impossible notion turns itself over and over in his head and he latches onto it, clinging tightly, too afraid to let it go.

Had he misheard?

No. Her words had been so firm and clear, he couldn't have misunderstood.

Is she lying?

Hardly likely. Jesse is one of the most frustratingly earnest people this side of the Nether.

So why in gravel's name would she ever trust someone like him? Nobody trusts him! - admittedly, with good reason. Not even Xara had, in the end. In fact, the last person who ever trusted him was Fred, and then he'd….he'd….

The painful memory resurfaces and Romeo scrabbles to squash it down, shaking his head to clear it and letting his eyes focus on the back of Jesse's head, a tender warmth igniting deep in his chest and gradually spreading outwards.

From what he catches, the man still hasn't calmed down and her attempts to sate his rage only seem to agitate him further.

"He'll turn on us the moment we let our guards down!" he roars, throwing an arm out that narrowly avoids clipping the young hero around the ear as he gestures over her shoulder at the ex admin.

"No, he won't. Look – Just -"Exasperated, Jesse knocks his arm aside. "- I don't want a fight to break out, okay?"

Finally, the man pauses, darts his eyes down to her face and then drags them back up to Romeo again. The lull in aggression entices Jesse into a false sense of security and her shoulders relax, a tiny breath hissing out between her teeth.

She should have known better.

Curling his lips back suddenly, the stranger growls, "Then you shouldn't have let him stay," and before she knows what's happening, he brings an arm up again, this time using his elbow to shove her roughly in the ribcage, knocking her completely off balance.

In that instant, time slows for the former admin.

He sees Jesse teeter sideways, sees her expression of shock and disbelief. Then, he sees her hit the ground with a jarring thump, her palms scraping over the hard cobblestone as a cry bursts free from her lips.

After that, all he sees is red.

A terrible roar cuts clear across the square, turning every head and shaking Jesse out of her daze.

Snapping her eyes open, she's just in time to witness a furious Romeo surge forwards to meet the man head on and seize him by the lapels of his jacket, hauling him off his feet and high into the air with a strength he simply shouldn't possess.

Kicking and struggling in the former admin's unshakable grip, all previous bravado seeps out of the man and his face turns ashen. "H-Hey!" he squawks, "Let me go, man!" Frantic, he grabs Romeo's hands and attempts to pry them off to no avail. "Somebody! Get this guy off me!"

Hearing the terror in his voice urges Jesse to scramble back onto her feet, wincing as she pushes off her grazed palms. "Romeo!"she shouts, "Put him down!"

People are starting to take notice, some fleeing the vicinity while others move a few steps closer, glancing between each other and the scene playing out before them, unsure of whether or not they dare intervene.

The ex admin is completely oblivious to it all.

His eyes are firmly locked on the man dangling from his grasp as a feeling akin to hatred begins to bubble up from his stomach, building to a roiling crescendo and spurring him to give his victim a violent jostle, pulling a whimper from his lips.

'Good,' he finds himself sneering gleefully, 'he deserves to be scared!'

Meanwhile, completely unbeknownst to him, Jesse has latched onto his forearm and is tugging on it for all she's worth. But it's as though he'd suddenly turned to stone. Limbs locked up, his sinewy muscles barely even quiver with the effort of keeping a man as large as he is aloft for so long, a fact that unnerves the young hero. She hadn't realised he would be this strong, even without his admin powers.

Desperation bleeds into her tone when she sucks down a deep breath and pulls herself up to be closer to his ear, yelling into it, "ROMEO! STOP!"

And just like that, as if emerging from a dream, he blinks, sound and awareness rushing back to him all at once. Turning his head stiffly to the side, he's startled to find Jesse's blazing, green gaze mere inches from his nose.

"J..Jesse?" he rasps as an instant wave of calm washes over him, dousing the fire in his belly.

She gives his arm another yank."Romeo! You've gotta put him down, now!"

"Huh?" He jolts, finally registering an uncomfortable twinge in his arms and the fingernails scrabbling frenetically against his knuckles. Swivelling his head forwards again, the former admin gasps, seeing his hands clasped around the lapels of the man who'd pushed Jesse over.

When did he?…..

Deflating, he promptly drops the man in a heap on the cobblestone and staggers backwards.

Eyes. There are eyes everywhere. He can feel their hateful glares on him as he spins in a slow circle, taking in the small crowd of people that have gathered seemingly from nowhere to surround him.

"Jesse.." He turns to face her once more, slowly shaking his head. "I-I didn't..I didn't mean to-"

Trailing off, he bites down on the inside of his cheek when he sees the look on her face .

Frustration. Wariness. Disappointment.

He's suddenly hit with an itch to bury his head in a block of sand, if only to escape that expression.

Tongue glued firmly to the roof of his mouth, he takes a few, bumbling steps towards her, not missing how her shoulders tense at his approach. "Jesse, I am so, so sorry!-"

A murmur starts to circulate the crowd, growing louder until he can distinctly make out certain words that cut like knives, chipping away at his resolve.

"What was Jesse thinking?"

"Somebody throw him outta here!"

"-thought she said he was harmless?"

"He just attacked that guy!"

Eventually, someone scurries forwards from the crowd and grabs the man on the ground, helping him upright again but the moment he's steady, he shrugs them off, straightens out his jacket and shoots a dark glare at Romeo then turns to shake his head at Jesse before spinning on his heel and stalking towards the gaggle of onlookers.

A few of them part to let him storm by, several even following after him, no doubt in the hopes of garnering some more information about the encounter.

Romeo can do little but watch him leave, mouth opening and closing like the world's most helpless goldfish. He would probably have remained that way for many hours if Jesse's small, warm hand hadn't suddenly snagged his wrist and given him a sharp pull. Too stunned to protest, he allows himself to be dragged across the square in the direction of Beacon Town's front entrance.

'Oh, now you've gone and done it,' he admonishes himself miserably, 'Kicked out on day one...'

But just as they near the gate, the hero unexpectedly veers to her right, instead leading him on a new path towards the entrance to the town mines.

In spite of his confusion, he keeps his mouth tightly shut as she stomps down the narrow staircase, her fingers still closed like a vice around his wrist.

They get to the bottom and it's only then that she releases him.

He trails slowly to a halt and chews his lip, sheepishly watching her move several metres into the dimly lit mine before she whips around to glare at him, arms folded tightly across her chest and a slender eyebrow quirked expectantly.

"What-" She begins, voice terse, "-Was that!?"

"I-I don't-"

She cuts him off, throwing her arms up into the air and closing the distance between them. "You were doing so well! I thought I could trust you!"

She may as well have twisted her sword into his gut.

Staggered, Romeo wrings his hands together, coming dangerously close to pleading when he rambles out, "No! No, no, no, please! I – You can! You can trust me, I promise!"

He can't lose that. He can't. He hadn't felt that good in a long time when she said she trusted him.

Though his words are saturated in genuineness, Jesse doesn't seem convinced. Huffing, she pinches the bridge of her nose. "How can I? You just attacked that guy! Why? Why'd you freak out on him like that?"

Shuffling awkwardly, he looks down at the toes of his sneakers and mumbles something under his breath.

"What was that?" she asks briskly, cocking her head at him.

Drawing in a deep breath, he reluctantly pulls his eyes up to her again, swallowing thickly before he whispers, "He hurt you…"

"I-"Jesse falters, taken aback. "What did you say?"

A little louder, Romeo gestures to her weakly, repeating, "He… hurt you. I – I saw him push you and-…I don't know, I just….It's like I switched off! Like I wasn't in control anymore."

She looks a little perturbed by his explanation but he doesn't know how else to word it.

It is the truth, after all.

Ever so slowly, the young woman's face changes, moving from stern to puzzled before his eyes.

"Why would you care?" she says after a pregnant pause, "Dude, you literally tried to kill me. Like, a lot."

"I know," he breathes, wringing his hands, "And I can't ever take that back. But…when I saw him push you, after everything you've done for me, I couldn't just stand there and-…" He has to rein himself in after noticing that his fingers have begun to twitch in her direction.

For some time, only the sound of torches crackling nearby permeates the stillness of Beacon Town's mine.

In the end, it's Jesse who takes a tentative step forwards - once again bringing her within touching distance - and sighs, shoulders slumping as she rubs at her temples. "I guess I can't really be mad at you. Not if you were just trying to help…"

"Wait, what?" He recoils, squinting. "You're not…angry?"

Jesse emits an airy laugh."For what? Standing up for me? If I got mad every time one of my friends did that, I'd spend my whole life in a bad mood! It will be harder to convince those people out there to let it slide though…" She chews on her lip, one side of her face scrunched up in thought. A few seconds later, she chuffs, hands coming up to rest on her hips and she aims a funny look at the former admin. "Man….It's hard to believe that just yesterday, you hated my guts, huh? Now you're defending me from the locals?"

"Jesse…" he frowns gently, "I never hated you."

She raises her eyebrows at him. "Uh. Again – you tried to kill me?"

"I was angry with you. Livid!"A nervous little laugh wheezes out of him and he turns away. "I wanted to hurt you because you hurt me."

Cocking her head to the side, Jesse pulls a face. "Romeo, what exactly do you think I did to hurt you in the first place?"

"You didn't want to be my friend," he tells her simply with a shrug, "And don't tell me that sounds pathetic – I know it does. You were the one person I wanted to be my friend – the one person I thought would want me as a friend. But then, you didn't." He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kicks at a loose chip of stone, feeling Jesse's astonished stare on the side of his head.

Following a moment of hesitation, she says, "I… didn't realise it meant that much to you.."

The former admin doesn't respond, so she moves around to his front, ducking her head to catch his eye. "You must have been pretty lonely."

"I wasn't lonely," he protests weakly, "I was…I was…." But in lieu of any legitimate excuse, he trails off, averting his gaze to the walls, the ceiling – anywhere that isn't Jesse. In the end though, he slumps forward in defeat and finally drags his head up to look at her, swallowing audibly. "Alright, so maybe I was."

"Yeah, no kidding." The tilt of her lip lets him know that she's teasing and seconds later, she has her thumbs hooked into her overall straps as a pensive looks washes across her features. "Welp, I don't mean to brag, but I happen to know a thing or two about making friends."

In spite of himself, a tiny snort betrays Romeo's bemusement. "So I've noticed."

He balks when suddenly, Jesse reaches down and takes his wrist, just as she had outside, except this time, there's a grin on her face instead of a scowl whilst she pulls him further into the mines. Luckily, the gloom conceals a dusting of pink that creeps onto his cheeks at the unexpected contact. He allows himself to be guided once again towards a wall near the back of the main chamber, a place well lit by torches, until they come upon a humble little crafting table. Its surface is littered with notches and chips, worn down over the years by hundreds of experienced hands.

As they approach, Jesse's fingers slip from his arm and he instantly mourns the loss of gentle contact. She kneels down a few steps to the right of the table, in front of a wooden chest that looks to have received the same level of love, and places her hands on the lid, hefting it open.

A raucous creak rends the still air as the chest's hinges protest against the unexpected intrusion but it nevertheless swings open and thunks against the wall, giving Jesse enough space to plunge her arms inside and rummage around whilst Romeo lingers at her back, twiddling his thumbs and glancing up at a deposit of iron the craggy ceiling.

"Can I tell you something?" she asks, pulling out a wooden stick.

Without seeing her face, he can't hope to hazard a guess as to what she's thinking but she's dropped the jovial lilt from her tone. Uncertainly, he replies, "Uh, course you can."

For a while, she hesitates, her shoulders heaving up and down though he doesn't hear her sigh. Another pause, then, "I meant what I said you know. Back in your tower."

"Oh, um…" Romeo scratches absently at the back of his neck. "You might have to refresh my memory. It all just seems like a it of a blur now."

She still doesn't turn to face him, and he's starting to think she's only pretending to look for something in the chest. He watches her place the sticks down next to her boots before she continues, "You were just about to bedrock over the world. And I said that we could still be friends, remember?"

"Y-yeah." He blinks and leans an elbow against the crafting table. "Yeah, I remember, sure." Though he wishes he didn't..

"Well, I wasn't just saying that to stop you. I knew there was at least some good in you and….I wanted to find it." At last, she pulls her arms from the chest, bringing a pair of iron bars along as well. Then, gathering the stick in her free hand, she stands up and turns to face him fully, eyes shining with so much sincerity, his chest gives a dull throb.

"I really did want to be your friend, Romeo."

A heavy weight settles like lead in his stomach. Just another chance, he'd squandered.

"Guess I should have taken the offer then and there, huh?" he laments quietly, glancing down at his feet.

All of a sudden, a burst of laughter catches him by surprise and he lifts his head again to find Jesse shaking her head at him and beaming as she abruptly pushes the stick and iron bars into his arms. "The offer still stands, dummy!"

"Oh." This time, there's no use hiding his blush. They're standing too close to a burning torch, the firelight illuminating his face and and setting sparks dancing in Jesse's eyes. Prying his tongue from the room of his dry mouth, Romeo croaks, "You're serious? You….you want to be myfriend? What, even after-" He breaks off, gesturing at himself helplessly.

Jesse's hand finds his shoulder and turns him gently to face the crafting table. "Yeah, weirdly enough, I kind of do. You're not the bad guy anymore, and I think it's important you know that even if it doesn't work out with Xara or the rest of Beacon Town-" Her fingers give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before they slip from his shirt. "- You still have at least one friend out there."

Romeo's arms clutch the items closer to his chest, a familiar ache beginning to build in his throat.

The next thing either of them know, he's dropped his load of crafting materials onto the table and lunged forwards, slinging his gangly arms around Jesse's shoulders and clutching tightly to the back of her overalls. He has to bend considerably to accommodate for her shorter height but in the spur of the moment, he barely notices the awkward angle.

Jesse meanwhile, lets out a startled yelp, although it's lost in the fabric of the former admin's shirt. Blinking, she turns her face to one side so that her cheek is squashed against his bony chest instead and she can strain her head back to peer up at the underside of his chin. He has his eyes clamped shut while a dopey grin gradually worms its way across his features.

Once the initial shock has worn off, Jesse finds herself relaxing slightly in his warm hold. It's less crushing that one of Petra's hugs and a little too angular to be as comfortable as Lukas's, but it's far from unpleasant and soon enough, she hesitantly slides her arms around his scrawny waist, feeling him flinch for a second before he promptly melts against her.

"Ha..Never had you pegged for a hugger," she jokes.

Romeo's only response is to let out a soft hum, smile growing even wider until suddenly, he registers what he's doing and his eyes snap open. In a rush, he lets go and springs away from her as if he'd been stung, holding up his hands up and blurting out, "Oh, Nether! I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me."

It could just be his imagination, but he'd swear that Jesse's laughter chases away the mine's oppressive gloom. "You don't have to apologise for hugging me! Actually, I think it's a vast improvement from yesterday." She flashes him a wink, setting his nerves at ease.

"Sorry if it was weird," Romeo mumbles, scuffing his sneakers on the ground.

"Not weird at all." Knowing that the truth would only make him self conscious, she waves his apology aside. It had been weird to receive a hug from an ex-immortal who had shaped the very world she stood on. Weird; yes. Though certainly not bad.

He's starting at her again in such a way that reminds her briefly of how Ivor had looked at her when she told him he could build a home in Beacon Town. It was the first time she'd seen the old wizard's smile grow so tender.

Eventually, Romeo's attentive stare starts making her fidget and she clears her throat shyly, tucking a stray hair behind her ears. "We'd, uh…We'd better get to it. That Heck-Mouth isn't gonna check on itself."

"Huh?" He shakes himself out of his trance. "Oh, right. Right. The Heck-Mouth, yeah."

He moves back to the crafting table when Jesse taps it and raises a quizzical brow at him. "Just in case we run into trouble, I thought it'd be a good idea to make you a weapon," she says, "When's the last time you crafted something without your Admin powers?"

"Ah. Heh. I suppose it has been some time," he confesses, rubbing at his beard.

"Don't worry about it, you'll relearn. Starting with…." Turning her attention to the crafting table, Jesse sets about separating the iron bars. "A sword, I think. Okay, so for one of these, you're gonna need to put an iron bar here…aaand…here…."

She continues to teach him the basics of weapon crafting while Romeo stands close to her side, nodding at appropriate intervals but paying absolutely no attention to the table whatsoever, too busy watching his new friend with a curl of warmth rolling around in his chest.

'Friend.' Romeo's lips stretch impossibly wide, wider than they have in years. 'My friend.'


End file.
